Improving Engineering Education through Utilization of Virtual Reality

Traditional methods (TM) for delivering engineering education are not aligned with rapid technological development. Engineering basic workshops as a fundamental course for engineering students are commonly provided through traditional education methods and depend mainly on understanding both the theoretical concepts and practical tasks. Simulation as advanced technology is trending where applications of virtual reality (VR) can be used as an effective teaching tool in education and boost the students’ engagement in the courses. This study focuses on improving the traditional learning method used in mechanical engineering basic workshops by utilizing VR. A time study was conducted for both traditional and VR methods to identify the time required to complete all tasks. A facility layout redesign for the current workshop lab was proposed along with a direct cost study. It was found that the use of VR allowed students to understand the course experiments, achieved significant improvement in students’ performance, and enhanced the learning experience for engineering students.